S550 Summary

• Renames the "North Carolina Drug Treatment Court Act of 1995" to the "Judicially Managed Accountability and Recovery Court Act of 2017" and expands the program's scope beyond drug treatment.

• Broadens eligible population to include cases involving mental, behavioral, or medical health factors in addition to substance abuse, and establishes new goal of reducing mental and behavioral health-related court workload.

• Reorganizes and streamlines the local court management committee structure, reducing numbered positions and expanding representation to include sheriffs, directors of child welfare services, and representatives of managed care organizations.

• Requires the Administrative Office of the Courts to develop and maintain minimum standards for court operations, in addition to existing guidelines and eligibility criteria.

• Modifies funding and advisory structures by consolidating the Drug Treatment Court Program Fund administration and revising the State Advisory Committee's role to provide minimum standards rather than solely referencing external task force recommendations.